


Pups And The New Year

by TheRedLotusFlower88



Category: PAW Patrol
Genre: Bitterness, Broken Friendships, Chase Is An Asshole, Emotional Healing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Enemies, Friendship, Gen, Heartbroken Chase, Marshall Is A Good Friend, Moving On, New Years, Rejection, Slurs, Unresolved Romantic Tension, from Chase, self-destructive behaviors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 06:17:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20372050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedLotusFlower88/pseuds/TheRedLotusFlower88
Summary: Reposted from FF.Net2017 gift. It's going on a New Year for the PAW Patrol, and while things has been mostly good, there's a dark cloud heading its way to the lookout. Ever since Skye and Rubble got together, Chase has been falling into a downward spiral of destruction and self-loathing. But maybe his best friend can pull him out. ChasexMarshall. Short story, not sure how long it's going to be.





	1. Chapter 1

_It's a new year, _Marshall thought, staring out the window of the lookout. _My, how things fly by. _The Dally couldn't help but think of all things that has happened this year.

First, they had gotten a new teammate, a Chihuahua, named Tracker, and was helping out with Carlos in the jungle; then, as they went on more and more missions, Marshall was finally able to get rid of his fear of heights, and had no problem with flying out of an open plane. Mayor Humdinger had always kept them on their toes whenever he tried to pull a wool over their eyes, and lately, it seemed as though their world - The PAW Patrol's - was getting bigger, brighter, every moment. The Dalmatian knew that so long as they were together, there's going to be more adventures and more excitements waiting for them just around the corner.

Speaking of together, it seemed like all the pups were growing closer together. First had been Zuma and Rocky, having to spend time together for the last few months before deciding to come out to the team that they wanted to be mates. The Dally didn't think he was surprised, to be honest. He had seen the way Zuma looked at the mix-breed, as if he wanted to claim him as his own, and he was nothing but supportive when they revealed to the team that they were together. Next came Everest and her crush on a Collie Border, Bruno. It was during a winter festival that the Husky had came to town along with Jake and his girlfriend, Carla, and told them that she was ready to take the first step in their relationship. The Husky had been all but nervous, knowing she would either be rejected or accepted by the handsome Collie. Marshall had reassured her that Bruno wouldn't hurt her, and he was right; turns out, Bruno also had a crush on Everest and has been wanting to talk to her about it forever, it seemed. Marshall was happy that the two shy pups got together.

The next one came as a shocking, seeing how Marshall had always assumed she would've been with Chase; Skye and Rubble. Of course, Marshall couldn't help but wince when he remembered the devastated look on Chase's face, but, unlike most of their teammates, Marshall wasn't going to reprimand her for choosing who she'd loved. When Skye came to him one late night with tears in her pink eyes, hurt and not understanding why the rest of the team acted so coldly towards her, Marshall knew he couldn't hate her for choosing Rubble. In fact, it was because of this that Marshall began acting like a big brother towards her, and pretty much grilled anyone that was giving her a hard time. Eventually, they all came to accept it, and Chase, as hurt as he was, decided to let go. Not only would it hurt his friendship with Skye, but also with Marshall. He didn't want that since they were best friends.

In addition, Ryder and Katie were getting along as well, but everyone had already seen it coming. The bright haired girl was over the lookout more often, and would sometimes sleep over. Marshall wondered if Ryder was planning on doing _something _with Katie, and when asked, the leader would turn bright pink, stutter over his words, before placing the pups in 'time out'. After that, nobody asked that question to Ryder again, though, there was suspicion. There was rumors about Carlos and Ace hooking up too, given the little bits and pieces Marshall was given whenever Ryder and Carlos was up for a chat. The Dalmatian thought it was adorable.

And finally, there was Chase. The blue-eyed Dally wasn't sure what was going through the Shepherd's head, at this present moment. Having lost the girl of his dreams to someone younger, it kind of changed Chase in a way that seemed destructive at most. He was more stricter than normal, more closed-off, and when bothered, you could see the storm in his eyes before he abruptly walked away, body tensed, and almost ready for a fight. It wouldn't exactly been new to Marshall, but it was worrisome. He never seen Chase like this - so put off and scary-looking. Ryder has talked to him so many times, but nothing seemed to help. He was angrier, more abrasive, and would constantly get into fights with Zuma and Rubble - Zuma, for making his mate cry, and Rubble, for calling Skye all kind of nasty names. If he wasn't careful, Ryder would be forced to take him off the team.

Marshall swallowed roughly.

He couldn't allow Ryder to do that. He knew Chase needed help, but how could he? The Shepherd pushed everyone away. Alex was afraid of him, Mr. Porter hated him, Katie was hesitate, Mayor Goodway's the same, and Ryder was at his rope's end. None of the pups were willing to save him...except...

_I'm his best friend, _He thought, getting up. _I can help. Whether he likes it or not, I can - WANT - to help. _With that, Marshall walked out of the lookout and made his way to Chase's pup house. At first, he just stood there, uncertain, before shaking his head. Taking a deep breath, Marshall raised a paw to knock on the door.

"I know you're out there, Marshall, so just come in already," Growled out Chase, and already, Marshall was feeling unnerved. He was starting to get flashbacks to his childhood, back at the Park with the bullies, but he remained unmoved.

He's going to help Chase out of his darkness - one way or another.


	2. Chapter 2

Inside the pup house was completely dark, and devoid of anything life. To Marshall, it felt like he'd stepped into a horror film. Chase, himself, was balled into a corner, fur ruffled around the collar, and looked as though he was slowly losing his weight. Chase narrowed his eyes.

"Is there something you need?" He asked, tone deep and on a verge of a growl. Marshall felt a shiver go up his spine, and fought the urge to submit as he stared at his one-called best friend.

"I just want to talk..."

"I have nothing to say to you, or anyone, for that matter." Chase huffed, and turned over on his face, back faced towards Marshall. Marshall's eyes went wide when he spotted a long gash that ran mid-back to his thigh.

"Chase, what happened?!" He yelped, rushing forward to look at the wound. Chase bared his teeth at the Dalmatian in annoyance.

"I had an accident. Big deal."

"It _is _a big deal! Why didn't you tell anyone?" Marshall said, staring at the gash that seemed to scarring up. _Just how long had he had this, for it to closed up? _He thought, worried. He was on the verge of touching the scar when Chase pulled back and growled, eyes narrowed, ears slinked back.

"Don't touch me!" He hissed, tail thumping against the ground and his fur standing on ends. Marshall swallowed, realizing the warning clearly, and slowly, slink his body to the ground, tail in between his legs, eyes on the ground. He hoped the message was clear, and that Chase wouldn't attack him.

"I'm sorry," He said. "I just want to help. I didn't mean to challenge you. I mean you no harm."

Chase simply stared at him and huffed, turning his back. "Get up. You look pathetic when you do that."

Marshall barely gave him a glance, still in a submitted position. Seeing this, Chase rolled his eyes and growled once more, a low, warning tone. "I said get up. Do not make me repeat myself." Marshall immediately got up and looked at Chase.

"Can we please talk about your behavior?" He asked, softly, eyes now on the ground.

"What behavior? I'm perfectly fine!" Chase said.

"No, Chase, you're not," Marshall started. "Ever since Rubble and Skye got together as mates-" That was as far as Marshall got before Chase hissed and was up in his face, growling and looking every bit dangerous as one would expect from a German Shepherd.

"Don't you EVER mention that whore's name in my presence!" He yelled out. Marshall narrowed his eyes.

"Skye isn't a whore. You're just upset she choose someone else." He growled.

"Skye was MINE, Marshall, and she choose to sleep with a pup that was inexperienced!" Chase said. Marshall rolled his eyes.

"Like you're any better? Chase, Skye is NOT property. She is free to mate with whoever she wanted, because you never claimed her as such. If you had been honest with her, maybe she could've been yours, who knows; the fact is, however, she ISN'T. She likes Rubble and wants to be mates with HIM, and not you. You need to get it through that thick head of yours that Skye belongs to Rubble, and calling her names and degrading her ISN'T going to make her run to you any time soon. In fact, it'll make her run further into Rubble's arms instead. And you already made yourself the enemy of Rubble and Zuma, because of their mates." He said, staring deep into Chase's eyes. For a moment, the two were silent, staring at each other, before Chase snorted, lifting his head up high.

"Get out. If that's all you want to talk about, then, there's nothing more to say." He said. Marshall glared at him.

"Fine. Have it your way, then." He said, pressing the button on the door and walking out of the pup house. The moment the door closed, however, Marshall felt his shoulders slump, and head hung low. Tears slowly drippled down his face, down his nose, and fell onto the concreate that was the parking lot of the pup houses. "What am I going to do now?"

* * *

"I say, let the dog wot," Zuma growled, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes. "He'll get what's coming to him, eventually. No need to wush."

"Zuma." Rocky scolded, giving his mate a disapproving look. Zuma snorted and began drinking water out of his dish bowl. Marshall frowned at that.

"Come on guys, he's our friend, and he needs help."

"He WAS ouw fwiend, Mawshall," Zuma said, giving him a one-eye look. "He lost that pwivilege the very moment he taunted Wocky about ouw welationship."

"And made Skye cry." Rubble added. The mention poodle was silent, staring down at her food bowl, unable to look at anyone in the eye. Marshall bit his lip, before a look of determination enter his eyes.

"Well, I haven't given up. Chase is hurting, and he needs help. If it were any of us acting the way that he is, I know Chase wouldn't give up on us." He said. Zuma, once again, snorted.

"Maybe fow _you, _he wouldn't. Chase was always so pwotective ovew you." The Labrador said, ending with a sigh. Marshall blinked.

"What do you mean? Chase is very protective of his friends." Marshall said.

"Of course he is, but for _you, _Mawshall, it's diffewent," Zuma said, looking at the Dally. "Maybe it's because of youw past, with the bullying and all, but Chase held you on a tight leash, once. I'm suwe if you wewe acting diffewently, Chase would do anything he can to help you," He took another sip from his bowl. "It's wondew how you two awen't mated, yet."

Marshall blushed.

"W-Well, it's because I don't honestly think about it. A-and for Chase, it's because of Skye..." He stuttered, but Zuma shook his head and let out a laugh on the borderline of a sigh.

"That's not what I'd meant, but okay. We'll go with that," Zuma shrugged his shoulder. "Good luck with Chase, though. As soon as he wetuwns to his nowmal self, I owe him a claw to the face."

Marshall chuckled nervously, making sure to NEVER let Zuma and Chase come face to face after everything is said and done.


	3. Chapter 3

Marshall looked down and smiled. Maybe the conversation with Chase hadn't gone so well, but he knew Chase like he knew the back of his paw; if there was one thing in the world Chase couldn't resist - other than Skye - it's homemade gifts. Marshall has given the German Shepherd one almost every holiday, and he loved seeing his face lit up with joy. The Dalmatian secretly thought it was adorable that Chase had a soft spot for homemade crafting, and though he'd never tell anyone this, he vowed to start doing it more often.

Picking up the paper with hand-drawn art, the Dalmatian made his way over to Chase's pup house. He didn't knock on the door, didn't alert the other to his presence - though, with a nose like Chase's, he doubted it mattered - he just simply slid the paper underneath his pup house and waited. Seconds ticked by, and he could hear some shuffling from inside, before the door open, revealing an unimpressed German Shepherd.

"Is this your idea of a joke? Because it's a sad attempt." He said. Marshall shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.

"No, no, no. It's just...something I wanted to give you. To help you remember." He said with a halfhearted shrug. Chase continued to stare him.

"You're being annoying. Leave me alone."

"Chase-"

"And take _this _back with you," Chase picked up the shredded piece of paper and gave it back to Marshall. Marshall could feel his heart drop at the sight, ears low, as he stared at the picture of a happy Chase and Marshall, along with the others, and the lookout. He could feel tears prick his eyes. Chase merely raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to cry are you? It's just a dumb drawing."

Marshall sniffled. Chase rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's not-"

"It's not that bad, is that what you're going to say?" Marshall interrupted, startling Chase. Marshall lifted his head up, watery blue eyes staring at him. "You're going to tell me to man up, right? That I shouldn't be crying over a drawing..."

Chase shifted on his feet.

"Well, yeah, but-"

Marshall burst into tears, hugging the Shepherd. Chase stiffen at the contact, and fought venomously to get Marshall to let go. "Hey, what are-"

"I'm going to help you, Chase," Marshall said, causing Chase to pause. "Whether you like it or not, I'm going to save you from yourself. You're hurting, I can tell, but it's okay, because I'm not going to let you suffer alone."

Chase was still tense underneath Marshall's hold, but eventually, began to relax.

"Let go." He stated numbly. "I don't need your help."

Marshall tighten his hold. Chase continue to sit in Marshall's arms, staring into his pup house, before a sigh broke out in between his lips. "You really are annoying, you know that, right?"

"Maybe, but you're my best friend. Best friends don't give up on each other like this." Marshall said, and broke out of his hug, looking at Chase. "Wanna go to the Forest like we use to? We can go for a walk."

"What I want is for you to leave me alone - everyone else has. I don't understand why you're bothering me for." Chase growled, narrowing his eyes at Marshall. Marshall simply grin.

"Because, when something was bothering me or I wasn't myself, there was a certain pup that never let a smile leave off my face. He was always looking after me, and," Marshall paused and nuzzled his cheek against Chase's, causing the German Shepherd to stiffen again. "I know he's in there somewhere. Crying out, wanting me to keep helping and pushing him. On the outside, he just won't admit it."

Chase still stare at him, and if Marshall hadn't noticed the red in his cheeks, he wasn't going to say anything.

"So, I'm going to do the best I can to help, okay?" Marshall said, smiling up at Chase. Chase didn't say anything, but snorted softly.

"You're wasting your time." He said, turning back to his pup house and locking the door, making sure nothing else could slip inside. Marshall just smiled, his tail wagging.

It wasn't exactly perfect, but, was he getting a breakthrough? He'd hope so.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a bright and crispy morning when Marshall had awaken. The Dally was feeling extra joyful today, seeing how he made progress - no matter how little - with Chase. He knew that if he'd kept it up, however, the German Shepherd would return to his normal self in no time.

Getting up with a yawn, the Dally made his way over to the lookout for breakfast, where Ryder was already fixing the pups food. It was so weird seeing how Marshall was the first to get up - it was usually almost, always Chase, who then would wake everyone else up for breakfast and got them started on training and dog yoga. With the new attitude, however, Chase was more slower than usual, usually sleeping in late, and Marshall had took it upon himself to pick up what Chase had left off.

"Morning Ryder!" He yipped, smiling. Ryder turned his head slightly, giving Marshall half a smile, before going back to the bowls.

"Morning, Marshall. How's everything?" He asked, placing the bowl down in front of the spotted pup.

"Everything's good, actually." He said, tail wagging. Ryder raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Then how are things coming along with Chase?" The leader asked. Marshall cocked his head to the side, tail slowing down as he answered the boy truthfully.

"It's...fine, I supposed. He seemed calm when I'd talked to him yesterday after I gave him a gift." He said. Ryder folded his arms, leaning over the counter, looking down at his pup.

"Really? What kind of gift?" He asked.

"A picture. I drew him a picture of all of us at the lookout. I wanted him to see how happy we were before all of this," Marshall scrunched up his nose. "Whatever 'this' is. I know he's down in the dumps because of Skye, but it was her choice and hers alone. He doesn't need to be so bitter about it. That's why I'm going to help him, he needs to know that there are some people who cares about him."

"And that's why I believe you can help him the most, Marshall," Ryder said, smiling. "Not only because you're his best friend, but you are always so kind-hearted. You'll never turn down anyone who needed help. I would love to have our Chase back, so you have my support."

"Thanks Ryder." Marshall said with a smile on his face.

"Would you mind waking up the rest of the pups for me? Their breakfast is done too." Ryder asked. Marshall gave him a soft yelp before heading out the door to wake the others. It didn't take long for most of them to be up and about, heading inside, but when Marshall got to Chase's pup house, he knew the difficult task that lies ahead of him.

"Chase," He started. "Wake up, it's time for breakfast."

There was nothing. Not one peep or anything that indicated that Chase had heard him. "Chase,"

"WHAT do you WANT, Marshall?" The German Shepherd growled from the inside. Not backing down, even if a shiver of fear ran up his spine, Marshall grinned and his tail began to wag.

"It's breakfast time, Chase. You gotta get up."

"I'll eat later, now leave me alone." Chase grunted. Marshall shook his head.

"I can't. You have to eat sometime or another; don't think I haven't noticed your weight loss." He said.

"My WHAT?!"

"Your weight loss. As in, you're losing weight that almost unhealthy for your breed. Didn't I say I wasn't giving up on you? I meant it. So, open up and let's go eat. I'll drag you out here myself if I have to." Marshall threaten. Chase growled once more.

"You don't have the guts, scaredy-cat." He taunted. Marshall rolled his eyes and pressed the button on the outside of Chase's door, letting the door slide up to reveal the German Shepherd had backed himself in a corner, amber eyes glowing directly at Marshall. Chase tensed, and began curling his corner lips, tongue flicking against his teeth every once and in a while.

This was, of course, every human's nightmare - having to deal with an angry animal with no way out, and wouldn't hesitate to bite, claw, and scratch their way to safety, especially with nothing that's going to stop said animal from tearing flesh. It was a really terrifying experience, and it was no different from Marshall. The last thing he'd want is to get into a fight with his friend, and since Chase was easily heavier than he was, it was no match for the Dalmatian (even if the Shepherd had lost weight, he was still bigger than Marshall in terms of height). Still, he wasn't going to back out just yet; if he ends up with blood dripping from his fur to get Chase back, so be it.

Stalking forward, Chase let out a low warning growl, body tensed, as if ready to lash out at Marshall. To the Dally's shock, he has yet to do so, even when he grabbed him by the tail, and began dragging Chase outside. The German Shepherd began lashing out, as expected, but made no movement to actually attack Marshall. If anything, it reminded Marshall of a human child throwing a hissy fit while their parents dragged them away, embarrassed and angry.

"Lemme go! I'll claw you!" Chase growled, dragging his nails onto the floor. Marshall simply stared at him, letting go of his tail.

"If you wanted to, you could've - but you held yourself back." He said. Chase narrowed his eyes and growled, back faced away from the Dally. Marshall sighed. "Chase, this is for your own good, you know that, right? I'll pull teeth if it means getting you back to your lovable, playful self."

Marshall didn't know, but Chase was blushing.

"I hate you."

"I know you do. That's why you'd clawed me."

Chase didn't say anything after that.


	5. Chapter 5

After an awkward breakfast (Skye decided to keep her distance from Chase, Rubble ignored him, and Zuma kept glaring at him), Chase had decided to head back into his pup house and stayed there for the remainder of the day. The problem, however, was that by the time the German Shepherd got to his pup house, Marshall was already in it - and it looked as though he wasn't coming out anytime soon.

"What are you doing here?" Chase asked, glaring at the Dally. Marshall, however, smiled and wagged his tail.

"Preventing you from being cooped up in here. Come on, Chase, we hardly see you anymore!" He said, grinning at his best friend. Chase rolled his eyes.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly welcomed anywhere anymore." He said, before trying - and failing - to find his way around Marshall. Marshall continued to block his path as he spoke up.

"Only because you're changing into something we don't like, Chase." The Dalmatian said. Chase grunted, finally giving up, and sat down, glaring at the blue-eyed dog with annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"Well, first, let me check that wound of yours." Marshall said, and that's when Chase noticed some of his aid kit sitting next to him. The German Shepherd shook his head, rolling his eyes once more, before speaking.

"It's fine, I told you. It's healed."

"That's exactly the problem," Marshall said with a concern frown on his face. "It's healed, but it looks like it healed wrong. Just let me check, and I won't bother you. Much." The two stared at each other for a while before Chase gave in, hanging his head.

"Fine, but you're worrying over nothing." He said, turning around so Marshall could see the scar. Brushing past his fur, ignoring how Chase was shivering, Marshall kept a close eye on the scar and realizing it was still oozing small amounts of blood, along with some greenish yellow stuff.

"Just as I'd thought, it's infected. Chase, this wound hasn't been closed up properly, and from the looks of it, there's some dirt in there too." Marshall said, digging into his bag and grabbing a small cloth and a bottle of sterile water. Pouring some on the cloth, Marshall slowly began to clean it, wincing in sympathy every time Chase flinched. "Yeah, it must be bad if water's hurting the wound. I'd suggest we go see Katie for some antibiotics, and soon. Any longer, and we might have to do surgery, you know."

Chase grunted, making Marshall sigh. "It's your own fault, you should've come to me asking for help. I was the only one who didn't give up on you."

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?" Chase growled, flinching once more when Marshall now decided to add bacteria-killing soap to the wound.

"Not at all, but it could've been prevented had you told me you were injured," Marshall said, wiping away the blood and dirt, and then wrapping the wound up properly, and as tightly as he could. If he could prevent his friend from losing an limb, that'll be pretty awesome, he thinks. "I don't need to tell you that you are on bed rest for a couple of days, maybe weeks depending how the infection turns out. You'll probably enjoy it."

"Of course I would. I don't have to see any of you in the time being." Marshall frowned.

"Chase, is this really worth it?" He asked, looking at the ground. Chase raised an eyebrow, so Marshall took that as his queue. "I mean, you're injuring and harming yourself. You're pushing everyone away, and for what? For what Skye had chosen? She's not going to leave Rubble for you. She loves him too much."

"Marshall,"

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm saying it because I care about you, Chase. You're my best friend, and I can't stand to see you hurt - not like this. But you also need a wake-up call; Skye is gone, she loves Rubble, and you have to let her go," Marshall stared straight into Chase's eyes. "I won't abandon you and leave you on this self-destruction path. But you need to face the music too. Please know that I'll always be here when you need me - even if you don't act like it."

Silence.

The two dogs stared at each other, both unwilling to compromise, before Marshall bowed his head and walked out of Chase's pup house. Oddly enough, it soon started to rain, and Marshall felt a bitter smile coming across his face.

"Even if you act like I'm your enemy and want me to stay away, I'll always be there for you, Chase." He said and then walked into the lookout. An hour has passed since, when a sudden flash came across his tag.

_"PAW Patrol, to the lookout!" _

"Ryder needs us!" Marshall said and began running towards the elevator. Soon, he was accompanied by Skye, Rubble, Zuma, and Rocky, who frowned when he realized that Chase was missing.

"Where's Chase?"

"He can't come," Marshall said. "He has a wound on his back that looks a week old, and it healed wrong. So I decided to properly treat the wound, and now he's on bed rest for a couple of days."

"So he has a legit excuse fow not coming on this time." Zuma said. Hearing the mocking tone, Marshall frowned at the Lab.

"It's not funny, Zuma. Had I not acted sooner, Chase could've been hospitalized. If the infection had gotten worse than oozing green slime, Chase could've potentially lose a limb." He said. Zuma held his paws up in false surrender.

"Hey, I'm not laughing. I'm just saying that Chase nevew wants to spend time with us, or do missions. I think Wydew might put him off the team if he doesn't wespond to the calls." He said, making Marshall's frown deepen. When they reached the top level, Ryder frowned, knowing he was missing a pup.

"Again?"

"It's not Chase's fault this time, sir," Marshall said. "He has an infected wound that's going to keep him busy for a couple of days. I was going to tell you that he might need some antibiotics from Katie."

Ryder's frown deepen. "He's hurt? How come I never knew?"

"None of us did, sir, I just found out recently, and has been taking care of it." _Take care of him. _Marshall thought. Ryder gave the spotted dog a small smile before turning serious.

"Well, this is a disappointment. I needed Chase with his net." He said.

"I'm sure he could lend it to me, sir, if I ask." Marshall said. Ryder thought about it before giving him a nod.

"Right. Marshall, go ask Chase if you can borrow his pup pack and meet Skye and I down at the beach. There's some sea animals that's needs to be caught and released back into the ocean." He said.

"I'm all fired up!"

"Alright! PAW Patrol is on a roll!" With that Ryder slid down the pole while Skye headed towards the slide. Marshall, meanwhile, went back into the elevator and went down on the ground floor. He ran out of the lookout just in time to see Ryder and Skye had taken off, and headed towards Chase's pup house.

"Chase?" Marshall knocked on the door. There was some shuffling inside, before Chase called out.

"What is it?"

"I need your pup pack. Ryder says there are some sea creatures that needs to be caught and released into the ocean." He said. Some more shuffling and then the door slid open, Chase holding out his pup pack.

"Here."

"Thanks Chase."

"Marshall?" Marshall looked up, blue eyes hopeful. Chase bit his lip, ears laying flat against his skull. "Good luck."

Marshall smiled, and headed towards his fire truck. He could feel hope fluttering inside his chest at the mere thought of having old Chase back. _So close, but I know Chase isn't going to make things easier for me. He'll probably go back to his old ways the moment we meet again. But it's okay - I'm patient. I can wait. _The Dally grinned as he drive down the street. _I can wait for however long he needs me to wait.  
_


	6. Chapter 6

When Marshall came back, he immediately hopped out of the truck and ran towards Chase's pup house. For whatever reason, since he'd left, the Dalmatian had been feeling a bit anxious with leaving Chase to his own devices - especially around two pups that seems to hold a grudge against him. Biting his lower lip, the blue-eyed dog open the door and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Chase huddle into a corner, asleep. He smiled and closed the door, before walking towards the lookout, where the rest of the pups greeted him.

"Hey Mawshall, any luck with Chase?" Zuma asked. Marshall smiled.

"He's asleep at the moment, but when he wakes, I'll need to check his bandages. I think they are getting slightly damped by the infection and I would need to clean it again soon." He said.

"Hmm," Zuma hummed, cocking his head to the side. "You know, I'm suwpwise Chase isn't as gwumpy as he use to be. While you wewe out, he had left his pup house fow the fiwst time, and we actually had a decent convewsation."

"Really? That's amazing, Zuma!" Marshall said, smiling, before something come into his mind and became a little less cheerful, but still with a smile on his face. "Eh, you're still upset about what he'd done to Rocky, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. I told you befowe, Mawshall, that I owe him a claw to the face," Zuma said, smirking slightly, green eyes gleaming. "But I'll do that ONLY aftew you get ouw Chase back. He'll agwee with me that he desewves it."

"Heh. Right." With that, Marshall moved towards the kitchen, wanting something to eat. Much later, the pups began playing Pup Pup Boogie, with Skye and Zuma going head to head. While Rubble and Rocky were cheering on their mates, Marshall decided to chill, watching them get into the game, before glancing over at the clock, and realized he's about an hour late on checking up on Chase. "Pardon me, guys, but I'm going to check up on Chase for a bit."

"Alright."

"See ya later Marshall!"

"Good luck, dude!"

Marshall waved them off as he left the building.

"Funny, I haven't seen him all day, actually." He muttered to himself, before knocking on the door of Chase's pup house.

"Yeah? What do you want, Marshall?" Chase croaked out, voice thick with sleep and from the sound of it, mucus. Marshall shivered. _You can't tell me you've been sleeping all day, Chase. _He thought, opening the door to see Chase rubbing his eye with his paw. _You were, weren't you? _Marshall mentally rolled his eyes.

"It's time for me to check on your bandages. In fact, I should've done it an hour ago, but I guess I got caught up in something." He said, coming in with his First Aid. Chase didn't say anything as Marshall made himself comfortable, and began peeling the bandages off of Chase. He wasn't surprise to see most of the green slime on it, as well as the blood. Chase couldn't help but scrunch up his nose.

"Eww."

"On the plus side, it's healing, correctly this time."

"But the smell-!"

"Yeah, I know. That's what happens when you let a wound fester for too long. And for a wound as big as this, Chase, that's a bad thing. Several things could've gone wrong, you know, and then you'll REALLY be out of a job." Marshall chided, using a cotton ball damped with alcohol to wipe away the remaining blood on Chase's fur. Chase hissed, pulling up his leg, and glared at the Dalmatian, who only gave him a sheepish smile in return. "I know it hurts, but it helps you. You're just going to have to deal with it for the time being. Come on, I'm almost done." With that, Marshall began cleaning again. Silence fell upon the two of them, and unlike the first few times, the silence actually felt comforting rather than a stand off between the two. "There! I'm done!" Marshall cheered, smiling up at Chase. Chase stared at him at him for a moment, and Marshall could see the conflict in his eyes, before the German Shepherd settled with a scowl on his face, a look of defiance in his eyes.

"Get out." He growled, slumping over onto his pillows, back turned. Marshall just sat there for a moment, not hurt, but analyzing Chase's behavior, before breaking into a smile.

"I knew it." He said. He saw Chase's ear twitch in his direction, so even if Chase didn't want to, Marshall knew he was listening. "I knew this wouldn't be an easy task. Even before I'd left for the mission, I knew you would become like this once more. But, I'm still not giving up, because I know. I know I'm changing you. You wishing me good luck proves that."

"Shut up. You talk too much." Chase growled, flopping over in a huff, causing Marshall to giggle.

"You know, Chase, you never complained about me talking before. You use to love it when we were younger." He said.

"I hated it when we were younger. You blabbed and cried a lot."

"Only because I was bullied."

"You should've stand up for yourself."

"Why do that when you did it for me? And made me who I am today?"

Chase paused at that, and stiffen when Marshall crept closer to him. "Do you regret who I am today, Chase?"

Chase bit his lip. "No," He started. "Yes. Maybe. Sometimes. I don't know."

"You hated that I cried," Marshall said. "You hated that someone made me cry. You told me that you would protect me from anything or anyone, and you'll make that person regret picking on me. You were, and still are, my hero."

Chase remained quiet, even Marshall sighed and began to leave.

"Why?" He asked, looking at the spotted dog, who paused at the door. Marshall turned around and smiled.

"Because you helped me when I needed it the most."

And with that, Marshall was gone.


End file.
